Holding Pattern

There has been little to report on the injury front. My next doctor’s appointment is in a couple weeks. After what I thought was a breakthrough moment, I’ve been in a holding pattern waiting for it to turn in any direction. Given the time that has passed, we’re taking some additional steps to get me closer to recovery.

It is a baffling and perplexing injury. It usually feels fine in the mornings, although not always, and then gets worse as the day progresses. Some days will be excellent. I’ll feel hardly anything until 3pm, and genuinely think that I’ve turned a corner on this thing, and then the pain and realization will set in again. Some days are better than others; some are far worse. This past weekend I had another stay-cation, thinking that would help me improve. Oddly enough, that Friday and Saturday were among the most painful days of the past few weeks, and I had hardly moved all day. Today is a pretty good day, but I’m not getting carried away just yet.

Because this has lingered, we are having another MRI done on Monday. Depending on those results, there’s a chance we’ll need to have a hip scope sometime in March. If so, that will set my recovery back even further, but I’m still getting close to the end. I highly doubt that more complicated surgery will be necessary, although it is a remote possibility.

The only thing for certain is that this injury will continue to linger, and it will be awhile before I can resume activity. The toughest thing was putting my coaching on hold with Bobby. He’s been a good guy to have in my corner, and has given me some great advice, but there’s not much coaching that can be done with a guy sitting on the couch. When I come back, I doubt that I’ll be tackling the big mountains for awhile. This year will be comparatively mild to last year and the year before.

It is not all bad news. One thing that I hadn’t realized I missed was free time. Now I have that in abundance, and it has allowed me to prioritize some different things in my life. I’ve been a little more connected to friends and family, which is never a bad thing. The Mitchell blog has given me another creative outlet to utilize my time, and I have been doing some fundraising for charity.

The toughest part of all this is finding a new stress outlet. Like many Americans, I work in a fast-paced, sometimes chaotic environment. It is a good, rewarding job, but also difficult. Just like with my injury, there are good days and bad days. Cycling was a great way to manage that stress. Without it, things have not been as easy, and around the first of the year (our busiest time), it was on the verge of driving me insane. Since then, I’ve learned some better coping methods, and most importantly, patience.

On to the next, and hopefully final step …